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Trump Confirms Secret Plane Switch After Possible Threat; Wisconsin Democratic Governor Candidate to Deliver Victory Speech; Rescue Efforts Enter Third Day After Columbia Quake; Satellite Imagery Shows Oil Spill Off Iran's Qeshm Island; Spotify to Start Labeling AI-generated Artists Next Month. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired August 12, 2026 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: A live look at the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory in Spain, and occasionally the sky

above, as seen from a special camera, as Earth gets ready to witness its first total solar eclipse in decades.

It is 03:00 p.m. in Spain, and it's 02:00 p.m. in London. I'm Christina Macfarlane, and this is "Connect the World". Also coming up, win for the

establishment camp of the Democratic Party. Just hours ago, CNN projected a winner in a very close race. The more moderate candidate David Crowley has

won the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin Governor in what election watchers called a Midwest bell weather.

And President Trump confirms the report of a secret plane swap in Turkey last month because of an Iranian threat. It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington.

And the stock market in New York opens in about 30 minutes from now. And it looks like a higher open after the U.S. CPI data release, which showed

inflation has cooled in July.

We'll have much more analysis on that later. But U.S. President Donald Trump is making his first public remarks on a security plan that involved

him secretly swapping planes as he left a NATO summit in Turkey due to a possible threat from the Iranians. He said he followed instructions from

the secret service and military by using a catering truck to keep himself hidden from public view as he switched aircraft last month.

Here's more from the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It was really as for the military, and I just have to do what they say. They go for safety,

and I have to do what they say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why was it too dangerous for you to fly on Air Force One? But --

TRUMP: I don't know. I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk. I think it was at greater risk because that would be the

plane I think that we -- that they would be more likely to go for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, CNN's Kevin Liptak is following the story from us from the White House. So, Kevin, the president had a lot to say about the secret

plane swap, and what more can you tell us about that, and what the reaction to his remarks have been?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and it has been interesting. You know, the president, in some ways, is confirming, at least

in the broad contours, what this deception plan kind of looked like, but he's also downplaying the level of subterfuge and the nature of what

exactly happened.

And he is shrugging off the idea that this whole other plane was sent into the sky with members of his own staff, with journalists, with military

personnel to essentially act as a decoy. So, it has been notable, I think, to hear how the president is describing that and suggesting that actually

it was the plane that he was on, even though no one knew at the time that he was on it, that was actually at more risk of this Iranian threat.

Now we are learning more about what exactly that threat consisted of people familiar with the matter saying that there was a very specific threat on

Air Force One by a shoulder-fired missile on the part of the Iranians. That is what led to this decision to both come up with this plan and execute it

there on the tarmac in Ankara.

The reason that they were concerned is that there was a degree of specific knowledge that the Iranians had about the president's arrangements there on

the ground in Turkey. They felt that there was just too high a risk on the president's life if he was going to fly either on that old blue and white

Air Force One or on the new jet that had been donated by Qatar.

And that's what led to this decision to move him between the two planes. We also now understand more about who exactly was left behind on that plane.

It was two cabinet secretaries, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who flew on that plane that the president

had left?

MACFARLANE: All right. Well, you know, new details on this emerging every hour. Kevin, appreciate it for now. Thank you. Now, Pakistan says it

strongly condemns the attack on the commercial ship in the Red Sea. Three Pakistani nationals have been killed in a strike on a Saudi-owned ship,

marking the first fatality since the Iran-backed Houthis declared a blockade of the Bab al-Mandab Strait last month.

Now, it's worth noting Pakistan recently signed a mutual defense treaty with Houthi enemy Saudi Arabia as the Middle East conflict threatens to

widen.

[09:05:00]

CNN's Paula Hancocks is joining us now for the latest from Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, what more is Islamabad saying about the attack? Unfortunately, Paula

can't join us, as you can see at this stage, but we'll get this back to you as and when we can. You are watching "Connect the World".

Still to come, it's a race against time in Colombia as rescue crews tirelessly search for survivors in the rubble. We'll have the latest. And

in the U.S., the Democratic establishment strikes back in Wisconsin's primary race for governor. We'll have more on the winner and why the race

was so narrow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: The search for survivors has entered its third day in Western Colombia, with more than 200 people dead following Monday's 7.4 magnitude

earthquake. Social media video shows a team of brave volunteers pulling a baby out of the wreckage of a five-story building in the City of Cali.

Together, they lifted a large concrete slab after hearing a whisper coming from under the rubble. CNN's David Culver is in Pereira in western Colombia

reporting on the damage there.

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A rush of first responders from here in Pereira, trying to figure out how much closer they

can get, and they were moving a lot of the vehicles off to the side and positioning themselves to be able to pull out anyone who potentially is

stuck within that rubble.

And you can see this is just one of the ambulances just behind us here that's backed in. And they're ready with stretchers closer towards the

rubble to try to bring folks up. And you can see also, this has been a line that has just been extended. I mean, all of these folks are volunteers.

And when we got here a couple of hours ago, this didn't exist at all. You had a drug story at a restaurant. And we're told, at least by a couple of

the locals here, that they believe that there's a young girl that's still trapped inside, an older woman that was described by one business owner

just at the corner here.

Others have said, no, there's more people in there, and that's a totally exposed apartment. You can see bedding and a family's kitchen, and all of

that, of course, has crumbled down onto the street. A lot of that has landed on vehicles, so it's quite widespread within this city.

One of the reasons that they decided to bring in even more first responders is they were hearing yelling at one point. That yelling, at least from

where we stand, is no longer audible. Even if the building hasn't totally collapsed, I mean, the damage is just extensive.

You're looking at this one right here, where you can look inside at someone or multiple people's apartments. You see a bathroom, living room, bed room,

personal belongings.

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And then I think somebody's shower curtain is right here on the ground. She says, as of last night, they had pulled out seven bodies and five survivors

from this collapse right here. This was a hotel, and there were small little factories and little bars too. She says, given how much of a

disaster this is, there are not sufficient enough machinery that they have.

And I said, this is known as the city without doors. And she smiled and laughed because it's known for being such a friendly and open community.

We've noticed a lot of folks are just sitting out in the shade and not going inside any of the structures, and that's because some of them may

just be questionable as far as their stability.

And others may not have running water and electricity still, and so they really have nowhere else to go in some cases. Look down here, I mean, just

street after street of destruction. He's again he's asking. They need the machinery to be able to move this. They just don't have sufficient

equipment to do it.

It's rare that you walk into a disaster zone like that, and just like they're trying to welcome you to their space, and yet they're also

expressing their frustration and the need to have more resources, heavy- duty equipment to move this stuff. And you can see here some personal belongings of folks that just end up in the street.

Oh, this is a little child's hat and some shoes. I mean, it is street after street in the center of this city. A city, mind you, that's roughly half a

million in population. So that's for folks in the U.S. like Minneapolis or Raleigh, North Carolina, so it's sizeable, and the impact is significant.

MACFARLANE: -- now we're returning now to Pakistan, strongly condemning a deadly Houthi attack on the commercial ship in the Red Sea. Let's go to

Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, just bring us up to speed with what Islamabad is saying about the attack.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, we've heard from Pakistan's Foreign Minister, and he has said that three Pakistani nationals

were killed on board that vessel, saying that one more was wounded as well. This is a vessel that just on Tuesday Yemen's internationally recognized

government had said that the Houthi rebels had targeted.

It was a Saudi-owned vessel, and they claimed that it was a double tap strike that the Houthi rebels had carried out. Now the Houthis did claim

responsibility for the attack, also claiming that it had Saudi military equipment on board, which is why they targeted it. CNN can't independently

verify that, and we haven't heard from Saudi Arabia.

But the fact is, there was loss of life on that ship. I want to read you part of the social media post from the foreign minister, where he says,

quote, Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel. Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a

violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the

Red Sea.

Now, this marks the first fatalities that we have seen in the Red Sea in this Bab al-Mandab Strait since the Houthis said that they were installing

this blockade on this area on July 20th. Now, they said that they were installing this blockade on Saudi vessels, Saudi Arabia and the Houthi

rebels have been engaged in fighting for many years now.

July, excuse me, 2022 ceasefire has collapsed just last month. And so, what we are seeing here is the first fatalities in yet another area of the

Middle East. This strait now further south than the Strait of Hormuz, but certainly Pakistan is condemning what has happened.

And it comes also on the heels of Pakistan having just signed a defense pact with Saudi Arabia and also with Turkey.

[09:15:00]

So, when one of those countries comes under attack now, the protocol state that the other countries have to stand by their side and defend them. So

certainly, this does raise the tensions in yet another area and yet another waterway, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, Paula Hancocks there. Appreciate it. Thank you. And we are now returning to the celestial event of the century in Europe. Millions

of people across parts of the continent are preparing to witness a rare total solar eclipse when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the

sun.

It will be best seen in Spain, along with parts of Portugal, Iceland, and Greenland. People have been rushing to buy protective glasses, like the

ones you can see here. The Iberian Peninsula hasn't seen a total solar eclipse since 1912, 19012, no 1912, I believe. The once-in-a-lifetime event

comes as Spain is battling huge fires brought on by relentless heat.

And Spanish authorities are stepping up warnings about public safety as hundreds of thousands of people descend on beaches and hilly areas to view

the spectacle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: During that minute and a half, what I hope to see is the grandeur of nature, and to experience it with my family. We often spend

money on trivial things instead of investing in something as beautiful as witnessing such a marvelous sight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Let's speak to Patrick Poitevin, who has witnessed dozens of eclipses. He's also the founder of the charity that provides telescopes to

children with special education needs or those with disabilities, so they can explore the universe. Very good to see you.

When I say dozens, you have actually witnessed, I believe, 57 solar eclipses, and this today will be number 58. Patrick, forgive the sort of

layperson question here, but I have to ask, once you've seen one eclipse, haven't you really seen them all? Just explain to me what I'm missing here.

PATRICK POITEVIN, ECLIPSE CHASER: Oh, you're missing quite a few things, in fact, because it is with anything when you see something you would like to

see it again because the phenomenon is so special as well, because every single solar eclipse is also different.

Well, first of all, it is in a different country, so you experience as well the travel. You experience as well the culture and the religion, everything

about that country as well. But also, the eclipse configuration is every time different. So, the sun altitude, the duration of the eclipse, which

type of eclipse as well?

Is it partial? Is it hybrid? Is it annual or total, like today? So, it is always different as well. Plus, I have to be almost as well. It is an

excuse to travel as well. So, 58 solar eclipses every time. It's different locations as well, and it is a nice excuse to travel.

MACFARLANE: Very nice excuse, and of course you're in Spain, Valencia, the best spot in the world right now. We're told for the celestial alignment. I

can see some what looks like telescopes behind you there. I'm sure it's much more technical than that. What are your expectations for this eclipse?

And what are people going to see and feel?

POITEVIN: Yeah, the reason we have chosen here the southern part of the totality path here near Requena, near Valencia, is because I'm measuring

the thickness of the tele of the chromosphere, and that is the different telescopes we are using then, and that is the location, the reason of the

location we have selected.

It is of course a very good location, beautiful with the wineries as well. But also, the sky is very blue at the moment. It's very hot, but it is a

special location as well in terms of the duration. It is only 15 seconds here, so very short. So, there will be more prominences.

There will be a longer duration of the diamond thing. So, there is as well more shadow band as well in that sense. So, it is completely different than

being on the central line like many other circles. So, it is a bit different than usual.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and I mean for everyone obviously watching here, just -- can you just explain how important it is that you do not look at the sun if

you don't have the right glasses, and what alternative devices people can use, you know, if they want to see the eclipse today?

POITEVIN: You have to be really careful in detail with the solar eclipses. So, before totality and after totality, there is kind of a partial eclipse.

Even when it is nearly completely full or total, it is still dangerous to look at the sun as well. So, you can use the eclipse glasses.

[09:20:00]

Use only certified eclipse glasses. That is very important. But also, you can see it by projection. So, you can use a colander or a ladle or

whatever, or you go under a tree. The reflections of the leaves under the trees will show you as well the crescents of the sun.

So, if the sun is only 50 percent for instance, obscured or completed, let's say, and then you only can see the decreases under the sun. So, you

also can see it on white surfaces. So have a white sheet, or when you see the reflections of the creases on a white car, for instance, that is

possible as well.

You can make as well small pin holes in a piece of paper or a carton board and project it on a white surface as well, and then you can see as

decreases of the sun on those kinds of surfaces.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. Well, that's what I'm planning to do today. I think a hole in a piece of paper with my kids. Look, you just mentioned there the

heat.

POITEVIN: Yeah.

MACFARLANE: We know that an estimated like 450,000 people maybe have traveled to Spain for today's eclipse. But you'll know too that the country

and its government are under a lot of strain now with the climate crisis, the wildfire crisis.

POITEVIN: Yeah.

MACFARLANE: From what you're seeing there, how are the authorities handling this event in light of that?

POITEVIN: I think Spain has been prepared very well for this eclipse, and the advantage what they have in fact is as well. There's three years in a

row where they have eclipses. So, this year there is a total eclipse. Next year there is again in the southern part, like let's say like Gibraltar,

also a total eclipse, and then there is an hour eclipse in 2028.

So, the preparations are very well. So, there is a lot of safety measures done by the government. There is a lot of preparations done as well by

various astronomical associations, where they organize as well gatherings, where they hand out as well eclipse glasses. So, there is a lot of work

done as well.

It's always the case that it is sometimes not enough. Some people are still looking for eclipse glasses. We handed out, for instance, yesterday in the

street here as well to some elderly people as well. We have some here as well in the B and B where we're staying. We handed out some eclipse glass

as well to the cleaning lady.

So, we're trying to help as much as possible as well, and that's what her does as well, of course.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, they are in high demand. Those eclipse glasses. But listen, Patrick. We'll have to leave it there. I hope that Eclipse Number

58 is a very special one for you. Thank you for joining us.

POITEVIN: Thank you very much indeed. Success yourself.

MACFARLANE: And in other news, we have been following primary elections in 6 U.S. states on the Republican side, one Trump-backed Senate candidate

advanced her bid to fill Lindsey Graham's seat in South Carolina, but another Trump ally lost his primary in Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Democrats are also facing ideological questions over the party's future direction. In Wisconsin, David Crowley is set to deliver a victory

speech next hour. We'll bring you that if we have it. And he managed to defeat Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong and win his party's nomination

for governor.

We'll CNN's Jeff Zeleny is joining us from Madison, Wisconsin, with more on the state's primary elections. And Jeff, I mean, this was really a

remarkable win for Crowley, especially as the race was so tight throughout the night.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The race was remarkably tight. There was no question about it, and there was really a

surge of progressive momentum for Francesca Hong, who, as you said, she's a Democratic socialist, a state lawmaker here representing Madison, and was

widely believed to be the front runner in this race.

Widely believed to be effectively going to win. I mean, her aides and her supporters were all but projecting victory, predicting victory early last

evening. But it turned into a very close race because undecided voters at the very end clearly had some questions about her ability to be elected in

November.

They had some questions about what if -- she was ready for a prime time, in the words of one voter to me. But yes, it's one more example of this

ongoing state by state by state. Question that we've seen this summer about the progressive movement versus the establishment movement.

But it was a bit different here as well, because Francesca Hong was a democratic socialist, different than Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, who won

the Democratic Senate primary. He said he's a capitalist, but she is a Democratic Socialist, so sort of more in the veins of Zohran Mamdani in New

York, if you will.

[09:25:00]

And some voters here just wondered if that would play state wide. So, David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, much more of a centrist Democrat,

clearly narrowly won here last night.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and I mean, at this point, looking at the bigger picture. And Jeff, what does Crowley's win signal for the Democratic establishment

and the future of the party? You know, as we barrel towards the midterms.

ZELENY: Well, look, I think it signals that the establishment is very much still well alive, and this big Democratic Party is going to have to find a

way to unify to come together. Every state, of course, is different, but there has been this strain of a Democratic establishment of supporters,

people who have more of a pragmatic approach and more of an electability mindset, here was clearly weighing heavy on some Wisconsin voters.

As we were talking to voters yesterday, Christina, I think we talked during the day as well. Many voters said, look, I like Francesca Hong. I like

these big progressive policies. The one-year moratorium on data centers was very popular, lowering healthcare costs. They were sort of worried that she

could scare off some other voters in the middle here.

So clearly, it's this balance between the left and the center. And in Wisconsin, at least, a state that is always so politically divided, the

establishment or the center lane won out.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, just Jeff Zeleny, fantastic reporting. Thank you very much. And you're watching "Connect the World". Still to come, global oil

forecasts are being slashed amid fresh confusion and mixed messaging over the future of the Strait of Hormuz. We'll check how it's moving markets

after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, and you are watching "Connect the World". These are your headlines. Millions of people

in Europe are preparing to witness a rare total solar eclipse. That's when the moon moves between the sun and the Earth.

It will be best visible in Spain, and we're expecting to hear from David Crowley soon after a razor-thin primary victory in Wisconsin. He is

projected to win the Democratic nomination for governor there. Crowley got last-minute backing from the Democratic establishment.

His opponent, Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong, reportedly called Crowley to concede the race. And the race to find survivors has entered its

third day across western Colombia after Monday's 7.4 magnitude earthquake killed more than 200 people.

[09:30:00]

Ringing the opening bell on Wall Street, China-based industrial group Londian Wason. Let's see where the DOW is starting the day. The signs are

good. The arrows are all pointing up. The DOW is up, and we are watching to see how Wall Street reacts to a fresh snapshot of the state of America's

economy.

Brand new data released last hour shows inflation appears to be moving in the right direction. According to the CPI report, U.S. consumer prices

increased 3.4 percent in July compared to a year ago. That's down from 3.5 in June. CNN's Senior Reporter Matt Egan is covering the latest from New

York.

So, a promising picture here, Matt, with these latest inflation figures.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Christina, I think the good news is that yes, inflation did cool in July. I think the bad news is inflation is

still too hot, and these price increases, they are completely swallowing up any sort of wage hike that workers are experiencing.

So let me run you through the numbers. This report really came out largely as expected, unlike that jobs report on Friday. Consumer prices up by 3.4

percent year over year. That's a step in the right direction from 3.5 percent in June on a monthly basis, 0.1 percent. That's a pretty benign

figure.

That's pretty low, and this was also as expected. And when you look at the trend for monthly inflation, you can see we did have some large readings

earlier this year. To the right of this green line is when the war started. So, you could see this bubbling up of inflation as the Strait of Hormuz was

closed and energy prices skyrocketed.

And then what happened was in June prices were actually down across the economy, the biggest decline since 2020, and that was because gasoline

prices had plunged. And now we have just a small increase in July, and yet after back-to-back months of pretty tame inflation on a monthly basis.

When you look at where annual inflation is, it's still too high at 3.4 percent. This is higher inflation than in early 2025 when the president

started his second term. It's also higher inflation than at this point last year. So why is this happening? Well, let's look at some of the big drivers

for inflation in July.

First off, its gasoline, right? Gas prices they did fall in July overall, and so that helped to push down inflation. However, we now know that

gasoline prices and energy prices across the world have since rebounded because of concerns about the war. Now, groceries were barely positive.

They were almost unchanged on the month, so that's encouraging. However, look at this: airfare up 2.2 percent. That's a big increase on a monthly

basis, and that's because jet fuel remains elevated, and also because demand for travel is very high. Motor oil 5.5 percent increase on the

month.

That's the biggest on record, and that may reflect some supply chain issues caused by the Strait of Hormuz closure. And then look at this, lettuce is

16 percent cheaper on the month. That's the biggest decline since they started tracking, and that does seem to reflect the fact that people just

aren't buying as much lettuce, because of all this concern about contaminated lettuce.

Now, what I want to focus on, lastly, here is what people are actually experiencing. So, let's look at how prices compare with wages. Back in

2022, when inflation was historically high, you had a situation where this blue line, that's inflation-was going up much, much faster than the orange

line, which is wages.

That was very painful. And then it reversed. And for a long stretch, about two years, we had a really positive situation where workers were

consistently having their paychecks go up faster than prices. But look at this, in the last few months, it's reversed again in a bad way, where we

have prices going up faster than paychecks.

So, Christina, this really underscores what people are feeling right now, and the frustration. A lot of people they feel like they can't keep up with

these higher prices, and the data suggests that's because they actually can't. Back to you.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, still ways to go for consumers. Matt, thank you. Well, global oil supply will fall by 4.3 million barrels a day, or roughly 4

percent according to a new yearly forecast from the International Energy Agency. It has slashed its predictions due to ongoing tensions in the

Middle East, which are expected to send the world deeper into an oil market deficit.

[09:35:00]

It comes as satellite imagery shows an oil spill off an Iranian island near the Strait of Hormuz. It is understood to have already impacted a kilometer

of coastline. All tankers have repeatedly come under attack during the U.S.-Iran war, and Iran says it is investigating the cause.

Well, my next guest is Amena Bakr, Head of Middle East Agency and OPEC+ Insights at Kpler. She -- so Amena, let's just start here by talking about.

It does seem like the world is starting to treat risk here as the new normal, which is, I know, something you were tweeting about.

So, what are the options on the table here at this point?

AMENA BAKR, HEAD OF MIDDLE EAST AGENCY AND OPEC+ INSIGHTS AT KPLER: Yeah, I think it's a very unfortunate situation that we're in, where you have the

risks incredibly elevated, as you mentioned, attacks constantly get repeated in the Strait of Hormuz and in Bab al-Mandab.

And we're still seeing attacks across the board on energy infrastructure in the region, and somehow, it's become a new normal, and somehow also the

world has to kind of adapt to the possibility of having the supplies being cut. So, the alternatives for now, I would say, are very limited.

There are contingency plans among some of the countries in the region, like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, et cetera. And more of these plans are going to come

into effect in the coming years. But immediately, I would say like it's just work around the situation, and it remains very, very volatile.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and I mean, we mentioned just then the International Energy Agency warned or is warning that the world is burning through the

inventories at a fair clip right now. So, what does that mean for oil prices? Because Brent has been steadily creeping towards $90 a barrel.

BAKR: It has been creeping up. I don't think it's still you know to the extent of the situation that we're seeing, you have to put in context that

out of the region here, we lost something like 2.6 billion barrels. And even though in our numbers we are seeing a recovery from some of the

countries that have been impacted by the war in terms of their crude oil production.

But it's still not at the level of where we were before the war, and that's going to take us easily into 2027, mid 2027, maybe the end of 2027, to see

a recovery, provided the security situation is resolved.

MACFARLANE: And look, when it comes to the rhetoric right now. I mean, President Trump insisted just hours ago now that Iran don't have control.

We have total control. We own it. And at some point, maybe they'll do something, and then they get blown away. Does anybody still get reassured

by the president's comments at this point?

BAKR: I'm not sure. I mean, there are lots of tweets there, but obviously they do impact the way that traders trade and view the market. I don't

think that they're following realities. They're trading tweets here. But at the same time, I mean, as well, Chris Wright from the U.S. Energy

Department he mentioned that you know flows have been restored in the Strait of Hormuz.

And he even quoted a number, 9 million barrels a day of flows. But it's just not consistent. Maybe this happened during the first half of July, but

if you look at the second half, we have flows dropping again to levels of 3.8 and then 6.4. So, it's it completely. I mean, it changes, it

fluctuates, and it's not consistent.

MACFARLANE: And let's just shift focus for a second towards Bab al-Mandab, where you know we've been saying earlier in the show the Houthis have made

things very hard for ships trying to use that route. And today, Pakistan condemned the latest attack on commercial shipping, which killed three

people.

I mean, is this going to change Saudi Arabia's strategy at all?

BAKR: It is. I mean, we're already seeing some changes. We're seeing more exports happen through the Suez Canal in Egypt and through the summit

pipeline. And we're also noticing that there are a lot of vessels that go dark, turn off their transponders. Rightfully so, they don't want to be

detected, which makes it difficult to really estimate how much flow is coming through Bab al-Mandab.

But for sure, I mean, the waterway being under attack here is impacting flows.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, well, plenty more to come, but for today and for now, Amena, we really appreciate having your analysis and your insights. Thank

you very much.

[09:40:00]

And finally, Spotify has announced, it is going to start labeling accounts that appear to be AI generated. Starting in mid-September, the streamer

will begin adding labels that say AI Persona. The badge will be displayed on the artist's profile in the search tab and next to names on playlists.

Those profiles will not be included in Spotify's algorithmic recommendations. In a statement, Spotify said, quote, true artists' fan

connection can only be built on a foundation of trust and authenticity. OK, that's it for us for this hour. "World Sport" is up after the break. I'll

be back with more at the top of the hour. Stay with us.

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(WORLD SPORT)

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